Banks County Man Arrested for the Sexual Exploitation of Children

Homer, GA (October 30, 2020) – On Wednesday, October 28, 2020, Banks County resident, David Ball, 70, was charged with four counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children (Possession of Child Pornography) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit (CEACC). An investigation into Ball’s internet activity by the GBI’s CEACC Unit began after a report was received from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) related to the online possession of child pornography by Ball via the internet. This investigation led to a search warrant of Ball’s residence in Banks County, Georgia, and subsequently Ball’s arrest. During an interview with Ball, he claimed to be a retired pastor who had previously worked at Methodist churches throughout the world. The GBI CEACC Unit was assisted in the search warrant of Ball’s home by the GBI Region 11 Athens Office, the Appalachian Regional Drug Enforcement Office, and the Banks County Sheriff’s Office.

Ball was booked into the Banks County Jail.

This investigation is part of the ongoing effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, housed within the GBI’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, to identify those involved in the child pornography trade. The ICAC Program, created by the U. S. Department of Justice, was developed in response to the increasing number of children and teenagers using the Internet, the proliferation of child pornography, and the heightened online activity by predators searching for unsupervised contact with underage victims.

Anyone with information about this case or other cases of child exploitation is asked to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit at 404-270-8870.